The Ann & Gordon Getty Collection: Temple of Wings concluded its second instalment with extraordinary results, totalling an impressive $21,932,214 across three auctions – one live and two online.
The live auction held on June 14, 2023, witnessed enthusiastic bidding from around the globe, with participants present in the saleroom, on the phones, and joining the event via Christie’s LIVE online platform. All the lots in the live sale were sold, generating a total of $19,005,864 and surpassing the low estimate by a remarkable 219% in hammer prices. The first online auction, titled “The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Aesthetic Decoration from Temple of Wings,” achieved a sales total of $985,194, selling every lot and exceeding the low estimate by an impressive 138% in hammer prices.
The second online auction, “The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Early Modern Design from Temple of Wings,” achieved a sales total of $1,941,156, with every lot finding a buyer and achieving a hammer price that surpassed the low estimate by an astounding 200%. These exceptional results, combined with the successful sales of the Ann and Gordon Getty Collection in Fall 2022, bring the overall collection sales to an outstanding total in excess of $170,000,000.
A Coign of Vantage oil on panel Painted in 1895
Price Realized: $7,068,000
Record-Breaking Sales and Notable Lots
The highlight of the series was the sale of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s masterpiece, “A Coign of Vantage,” which achieved an impressive $7,068,000, surpassing its low estimate of $2,500,000. The live auction also witnessed exceptional results for Tiffany Studios‘ glass and lighting pieces. The “Wisteria” Table Lamp fetched a remarkable $945,000, while the rare and significant “Butterfly” Table Lamp set a record for the model, selling for $768,600.
Another notable piece, the rare “Pond Dragonfly” Table Lamp, one of only three known to exist and previously owned by Walter Chrysler and Roy Warshawsky, achieved a remarkable $302,400. Tiffany Studios‘ “Cypress and Azalea” landscape window for “Carmore” fetched an impressive $907,200, three times its low estimate.
Price Realized: $945,000
In the online auctions, the top lot in “The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Aesthetic Decoration from Temple of Wings” was the ‘Hammersmith’ Carpet, attributed to William Morris and dating back to circa 1886, which sold for a notable $81,900. Meanwhile, the top lot in “The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection: Early Modern Design from Temple of Wings” was the Tiffany Studios’ ‘Geometric and Turtle-Back Tile’ Chandelier, achieving a significant price of $163,800.
I am incredibly pleased with the results of the Temple of Wings sales at Christie’s. As with the Broadway sale held last October, proceeds will benefit charities designated by Ann and me
Gordon Getty
Price Realized: $907,200
Legacy and Philanthropy of Ann and Gordon Getty
Ann Gilbert Getty, born in 1941 and passing away in 2020, is remembered as a philanthropist, publisher, author, interior designer, and arts patron. Growing up on a farm in Wheatland, CA, Ann Getty founded Ann Getty and Associates, a renowned residential interior design firm based in San Francisco.
Throughout her life, Ann Getty made invaluable contributions to numerous organizations, including the University of California Berkeley, the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Leakey Foundation, and the Napa Valley Festival. In New York, she served on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and New York University.
Gordon Peter Getty, born in 1933, is a philanthropist and American composer who left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. In recognition of his extraordinary legacy, Gordon Getty was honoured with the prestigious European Culture Prize in 2019. His compositions have graced renowned venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Vienna’s Brahms-Saal, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and Bolshoi Theatre, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.
His music has also been performed at esteemed festivals, including Aspen, Spoleto, Bad Kissingen, and Festival Napa Valley. Gordon Getty is the fourth child of J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), whose esteemed collection of art and antiquities formed the foundation of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Conclusion
The second instalment of The Ann & Gordon Getty Collection: Temple of Wings achieved phenomenal sales, with a total of $21,932,214 across three auctions. Notable highlights included the outstanding results for Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s “A Coign of Vantage” and the remarkable sales of Tiffany Studios’ glass and lighting pieces. The legacy and philanthropic contributions of Ann and Gordon Getty further enhance the significance of this collection. With their extraordinary achievements in the fields of design, music, and philanthropy, Ann and Gordon Getty have left an indelible mark on the world and continue to inspire generations to come.
Images: Christie’s